School change: Enough with the “college ready”
If we really want school change the first thing we should abandon is the concept of “college ready” for every student. I know, I’ve said it before, and I could feel you rolling your eyes through the internet. I didn’t say we should completely abandon “college ready,” but it shouldn’t be the main focus of our educational system.
So what should it be? Life ready! We should be focusing on helping every child develop a life plan. Not college plan, not a career plan, a life plan. So you want some evidence? Look at this.
- Only 28% of Americans have a four year degree -National Center for Public Policy & Higher Education
- Only 23% of all jobs nation wide require a degree - National Summit on 21st Century Skills for 21st Century Jobs
- 30% of all college freshman leave before their sophomore year with 0 credits - Education Weekly March 2005
- 80% 0f 2009 college grads live with their parents – Survey by CollegeGrad.com
- 70% of 2009 college grads couldn’t find a job in their field – Survey by CollegeGrad.com
- The average college grad is $20,000 in debt if they attended a public university, much more if they attended a private university. - U.S. Education Department
And I could provide more. The myth that a college degree is a path to prosperity is just that, a myth! So when we talk about school change let’s NOT start with the premise that we need to prepare every student to attend “college”! – Steve Wyckoff
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Steve Wyckoff, Steve Wyckoff. Steve Wyckoff said: New blog post School change: Enough with the "college ready" here: http://ping.fm/sScHM [...]
Amen, Steve!! When my oldest entered college the guidance counselor said, and I quote, “80% of the jobs that will await your student will not require college.” Then the next six years (for all three of my sons to get through high school) were all based on getting students college ready. At one point, the principal told my gifted son, maybe you should just drop out because he was acting out when he got bored in class. Acting out = lack of intelligence. This was all 10 years ago!!! This change is needed, and NOW!
Cynthia,
I hear stories like yours all the time. Ant yet we persist in focusing more and more on meeting the needs of colleges NOT kids!
Outstanding blog Steve! Despite these dismal statistics, we dig in deeper and deeper clinging to the belief that every child needs the same curriculum and formula through our schools. Some of the most successful folks I know could not wait to get out of school so they could get on with their “life plan” and it worked out very well for them.
Amen! Our high school and college experiences need to be completely rethought!
[...] The Merits of Making a student “College Ready” Posted on July 19, 2010 by 32bpwr3 How important is it for students to go on to college after graduating high school? This article calls the idea that college is a “path to prosperity” a myth, and cites several …. [...]